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Policing Identity Boundaries

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Clarissa

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Before I had COVID, it really bugged me when people said “sick with COVID” instead of “tested positive for COVID” for those who had no symptoms.

Now it bugs me even more. I really had COVID. I paid my COVID dues in serious symptoms. I want to police the boundaries of my identity as a COVID survivor. Your positive test means nothing unless you really suffered. Go join your own identity group with the rest of the young, thin, fit bastards with robust immune systems. Your “I also had COVID but I had no symptoms” spiel makes no sense. You are not one of us, you wannabe.

8 responses to “Policing Identity Boundaries”

  1. Pen Avatar
    Pen

    My department just got a really condescending email from someone who had an asymptomatic case. The goal was to tell us all of their covid experience and make people more comfortable with the state’s vaccine mandate. And yes, they had some minor issues involved in their “recovery” but it’s impossible to know whether those issues were caused by covid or not because they’re so specific to their medical history.

    And it’s just like, stop, please, because you’re shooting yourself in the foot here. I honestly like some of the higher-ups’ responses (all along the lines of “this sucks but unfortunately the state says we all need to do it so let’s do it together and recognize that we’re all scared and in a really shitty situation”), but this one didn’t really say anything relevant or helpful.

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  2. xykademiqz Avatar
    xykademiqz

    Technically it should probably be “sick with COVID” and “positive for coronavirus infection.” COVID is literally the disease (it’s the D), whereas having an asymptomatic infection means one did get exposed to the virus, but didn’t actually get the disease.

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      Exactly! Precision matters.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. xykademiqz Avatar
        xykademiqz

        Yeah, COVID (disease) is to coronavirus (virus) what AIDS (disease) is to HIV (virus). We don’t say “positive for AIDS”; we say “positive for HIV.”

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  3. Leslie Avatar
    Leslie

    Did you actually get to test positive, or test for antibodies, and stuff? I’m sure I had it but people did not believe me and there weren’t tests available yet. I want the antibodies test and I want it to come out positive so I can post a visible badge of courage.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      I had such obvious symptoms that I got tested. It came back positive. My husband’s also came back positive. But this was recent, not an early case like yours. I do think yours was COVID because I remember how you described it, and it’s clear now that’s what it was.

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    2. Maria Avatar
      Maria

      If you’ve had it a while ago (more than 6 months), the antibodies might be gone. However, you’d still have memory T-cells, and I’m pretty positive there is a test for them.

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      1. Pen Avatar
        Pen

        A T-cell test has been approved but is only really available through research labs, unfortunately.

        Liked by 1 person

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A conservative literary critic and college professor

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